'Ex-Gay' Billboards in Texas Getting the Boot

Very visible advertising from Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays won't fly -- even in Waco.

Neal Broverman

Neal Broverman is the Editorial Director, Print of Pride Media, publishers of The Advocate, Out, Out Traveler, and Plus, spending more than 20 years in journalism. He indulges his interest in transportation and urban planning with regular contributions to Los Angeles magazine, and his work has also appeared in the Los Angeles Times and USA Today. He lives in the City of Angels with his husband, children, and their chiweenie.

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Neal Broverman

September 19 2016 4:27 PM EST

September 19 2016 4:40 PM EST

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Following an outcry by activists and LGBT locals, three billboards in Waco, Texas, advertising "ex-gay" therapy -- where LGBT people are ostensibly turned straight or cisgender -- are coming down at the end of October.

The billboards from Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays will be removed in a month, when the contract expires. Waco LGBT activist Carmen Saenz spoke to the owner of the billboards, who agreed to not renew PFOX's contract.

"Rather than cause a lot of drama and create an 'us against them' environment, we spoke with the company and all is good," Saenz said, according to reports.

Obviously, local LGBT people are happy with the decision, seeing the billboards as sullying Waco's reputation. While Waco is no Austin, it is one of the few cities in Texas that offers nondiscrimination protections for LGBT municipal employees.

Several states -- not Texas -- have outlawed the use of so-called reparative therapy on minors, citing risks that include increased mental health issues, drug and alcohol abuse, homelessness, and suicidal ideation.

See more below, via local NBC affiliate KXAN: